A sign for Britex Fabrics is seen above the shop on Geary Street, in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016.

A sign for Britex Fabrics is seen above the shop on Geary Street, in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016.

Photo: Gabrielle Lurie, The Chronicle

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Student Sara Scott, who has regularly shopped at Britex for three years looks through fabric, at Britex Fabrics, in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016.

Student Sara Scott, who has regularly shopped at Britex for three years looks through fabric, at Britex Fabrics, in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016.

Photo: Gabrielle Lurie, The Chronicle

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Sharman Spector poses for a picture at the 60 years old store Britex Fabrics she owns in San Francisco, CA on May 4, 2012. The family shop opened in 1952 by her parents Polish immigrants Martin and Lucy Spector. Many of the store employees had worked for the company for many years including Melody Doss, who has been with Britex for 33 years, "Button Lady," Maya Gorokhovskaya and Douglas Davis has been here for 23 years. less

Sharman Spector poses for a picture at the 60 years old store Britex Fabrics she owns in San Francisco, CA on May 4, 2012. The family shop opened in 1952 by her parents Polish immigrants Martin and Lucy ... more

Photo: Siana Hristova, The Chronicle

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Rolls of fabric are seen laying on a shelf, Britex Fabrics, in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016.

Rolls of fabric are seen laying on a shelf, Britex Fabrics, in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016.

Photo: Gabrielle Lurie, The Chronicle

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Student Sara Scott, who has regularly shopped at Britex for three years looks through fabric, at Britex Fabrics, in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016.

Student Sara Scott, who has regularly shopped at Britex for three years looks through fabric, at Britex Fabrics, in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016.

Photo: Gabrielle Lurie, The Chronicle

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Rolls of fabric are seen at Britex Fabrics, in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016.

Rolls of fabric are seen at Britex Fabrics, in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016.

Photo: Gabrielle Lurie, The Chronicle

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A sign for Britex Fabrics is seen above the shop on Geary Street, in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016.

A sign for Britex Fabrics is seen above the shop on Geary Street, in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016.

Photo: Gabrielle Lurie, The Chronicle

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Lucy Spector, co-founder of Britex Fabrics in San Francisco, in an undated photo. She died July 1 at age 93.

Lucy Spector, co-founder of Britex Fabrics in San Francisco, in an undated photo. She died July 1 at age 93.

Photo: Bev Spector

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Customers crowd the store, to purchase fabric at the Britex Fabrics remnant sale, April 13, 1992

Customers crowd the store, to purchase fabric at the Britex Fabrics remnant sale, April 13, 1992

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

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Karen Luu, a clothes designer, waits in line to purchase fabric at the Britex Fabrics remnant sale, April 13, 1992

Karen Luu, a clothes designer, waits in line to purchase fabric at the Britex Fabrics remnant sale, April 13, 1992

Employee Lizzie Locker (right) cuts a piece of fabric for a customer at Britex Fabrics, in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016.

Employee Lizzie Locker (right) cuts a piece of fabric for a customer at Britex Fabrics, in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016.

Photo: Gabrielle Lurie, The Chronicle

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A woman looks through buttons at Britex Fabrics, in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016.

A woman looks through buttons at Britex Fabrics, in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016.

Photo: Gabrielle Lurie, The Chronicle

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Empoyees Maya Gorokhovskaya (left) and Natalie Wiener (right) decide on whether or not they should re-buy a particular button for the store, at Britex Fabrics, in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016. less

Empoyees Maya Gorokhovskaya (left) and Natalie Wiener (right) decide on whether or not they should re-buy a particular button for the store, at Britex Fabrics, in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, Oct. ... more

Photo: Gabrielle Lurie, The Chronicle

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A stack of green fabrics lay on a shelf at Britex Fabrics, in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016.

A stack of green fabrics lay on a shelf at Britex Fabrics, in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016.

Photo: Gabrielle Lurie, The Chronicle

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Mai Quing Wang, who has regularly shopped at Britex for two years walks through Britex Fabrics as she looks for fabric, in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016.

Mai Quing Wang, who has regularly shopped at Britex for two years walks through Britex Fabrics as she looks for fabric, in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016.

Photo: Gabrielle Lurie, The Chronicle

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Employee Lizzie Locker puts fabric on a mannequin on the first floor of Britex Fabrics, in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016.

Employee Lizzie Locker puts fabric on a mannequin on the first floor of Britex Fabrics, in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016.

Photo: Gabrielle Lurie, The Chronicle

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Employee Lizzie Locker (right) helps customer Pat Comartin (center), of Toronto while she looks for fabric to make a scarf, at Britex Fabrics, in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016. Pat Comartin has been a regular shopper at Britex for ten years. less

Employee Lizzie Locker (right) helps customer Pat Comartin (center), of Toronto while she looks for fabric to make a scarf, at Britex Fabrics, in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016. Pat ... more

Photo: Gabrielle Lurie, The Chronicle

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Employee Lizzie Locker (right) helps customer Pat Comartin (left), of Toronto while she looks for fabric to make a scarf, at Britex Fabrics, in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016. Pat Comartin has been a regular shopper at Britex for ten years. less

Employee Lizzie Locker (right) helps customer Pat Comartin (left), of Toronto while she looks for fabric to make a scarf, at Britex Fabrics, in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016. Pat ... more

Photo: Gabrielle Lurie, The Chronicle

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Britex Fabrics employee Lizzie Locker (center) helps Pat Comartin of Toronto with fabric to make a scarf last year.

Britex Fabrics employee Lizzie Locker (center) helps Pat Comartin of Toronto with fabric to make a scarf last year.

Photo: Gabrielle Lurie, The Chronicle

Britex Fabrics moving, but just to Post Street. And the red sign?

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Britex Fabrics, the august Union Square shop that has supplied fabrics, ribbons and buttons to generations of San Franciscans, is set to relocate after 65 years in its tall, narrow building on Geary Street.

The family business, which opened at 146 Geary St. in 1952, will move 900 feet around the corner to 117 Post St. The new 8,000-square-foot space — two stories and a basement — is a bit smaller than the current store but has higher ceilings and more natural light.

The announcement of the move comes eight months after the new owner of 146 Geary St., City Center Realty Partners, filed a change-of-use application with the San Francisco Planning Department, seeking to convert the top four floors of the building from retail to office space.

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The application set off near hysteria among historic preservationists and Britex partisans — although the property owner, which bought the structure from the Spector family, said that the change-of-use application was submitted to allow “down-the-road flexibility,” in case it was unable to come to terms with the fabric business.

In the end, City Center Realty Partners offered Britex three upper floors of the Geary Street building, but not the street level. Spector’s husband, attorney Gary Angel, said that negotiations with the Geary Street landlord were productive, but in the end it made more sense to make a fresh start on Post Street.

The Post Street space, previously Rizzoli Books and most recently home to the Spanish retailer Mango, is actually familiar to Britex. The fabric store relocated there temporarily in 2004 while the Geary Street building was undergoing a seismic retrofit.

One of the attractions of Post Street was the proximity to two other classic only-in-San Francisco brands. Gumps, the home decor and jewelry shop, is next door at 135 Post St. And Shreve & Co., the high-end jeweler, moved to 150 Post after a rent increase squeezed the retailer out of its home of 110 years at 200 Post St.

“It’s going to be an iconic block of San Francisco — three of the oldest San Francisco symbols on the same block,” Angel said.

For many San Franciscans the looming question about the move is what will become of the often photographed red Britex blade sign. Angel said that the landlord at Post Street has agreed to hang the Britex sign there, but that at 30 feet high it’s too long for the new structure because it would block the windows of office tenants upstairs.

The solution will likely be a compromise: The neon “Britex” part of the sign will make the move but not the “Fabrics” portion. Even relocating a portion of the sign will require a special authorization from the city because current sign ordinances don’t allow for displays that big.

Supervisor Aaron Peskin has assured Britex that the city will support the move.

“Britex Fabrics’ historic sign is as intrinsic to its identity as the business itself is to the fabric of our great city,” said Peskin. “The Board of Supervisors has made accommodation for fixtures of this nature in the past and will do so again.”

Meanwhile, in anticipation of the move, Britex staff is organizing a series of events to say farewell to the old space and introduce customers to the new one. The plan is to close after Thanksgiving and reopen in the new space by mid-December.

“We are going to give everyone a chance to reflect on those memories — 65 years of history,” said Britex general manager Dina Fayer. “There is a lot of honor in that.”

All of Britex’s employees will be moving to the new location and will be there to help organize the rolls of linens and cottons in the new space.

“It’s an impressive, spacious, airy space,” Fayer said. “It goes up forever. The fabric is going to look fabulous there. It’s a clean slate. We are going to build the new Britex from the ground up.”